I am recruiting a PhD student for Fall 2024 in the Division of Coastal Sciences in the School of Ocean Science and Engineering at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM). The primary responsibility of the student will be to develop a dissertation aimed at understanding Paddlefish use of Mississippi's coastal rivers and their tributaries as well as their population demographics. This project will use traditional capture-recapture, acoustic telemetry, and sonar methods to achieve this work. Development of additional dissertation questions are expected and should expand the proposed work as well as ongoing work in the lab. The student will be expected to work with a team of faculty, technicians, and graduate students in both the field and laboratory settings and is expected to present results of their project at professional meetings and their work should culminate in manuscripts for peer review. The position is fully funded and the student will have opportunity to collaborate on additional projects and with collaborators from state and federal agencies.
USM requires application materials (transcripts, letter of interest, and 3 letters of references) by April 4th. All work will be conducted at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory http://gcrl.usm.edu/ in Ocean Springs, MS. To be considered for the position, please email Dr. Michael Andres (michael.andres@usm.edu) and include a letter of interest, current C.V., and unofficial transcripts. The Division of Coastal Sciences at USM does not require GRE scores.
Qualifications
Interested PhD students should hold a MS degree in a related field (e.g., ecology, fisheries, biology, conservation) with a minimum GPA of 3.5 on all graduate work and possess strong quantitative, writing, and presentation skills. Strong candidate will be proficient in R, have the ability to think independently, and have demonstrated these through presentations at conferences/manuscripts. Applicants with experience in fish ecology, statistical analyses, acoustic telemetry, tagging and handling of large fish, and trailering and launching small boats are encouraged to apply. The successful applicant will be provided a full-time research assistantship ($1,950/mo), health insurance, and a tuition waiver.